The present invention relates to a locking and unlocking device for an electrical connector.
An electrical connector comprises a male part and a female part. To ensure a good connection between these two parts, one of the parts is locked to the other. Several locking devices are known. For example, it is known to use a threaded connection, in which case a housing, for the male part, for example, comprises two tapped holes while the corresponding female part carries two screws, e.g. knurled screws.
The disadvantage with this system is that it takes some time to lock and/or unlock. The device is in addition relatively expensive.
It is also known practice to fasten one part of the connector to the other part using hooks and hook catches. The hook is on an elastic arm, which itself pivots on part of the connector. To unlock the device, pressure is applied to the free end of the pivoting arm furthest from the hook to release the latter from its hook catch. The hook catch may be a cavity formed in the other part of the connector.
The problem with this locking device is its large size, because in order to have enough leverage, the pivoting arm must be relatively long and extend beyond the body of that part of the connector to which this arm is attached.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a locking and unlocking device for a connector of small size. Advantageously, this device has a relatively low cost price.
For this purpose, the device which the invention proposes is a locking device for an electrical connector with a male part and a female part, this device comprising at least one locking hook on an elastic arm attached to a first part of the connector to engage with a hook catch formed on the second part of the connector.
According to the invention, this device also comprises a slide containing a window through which passes the arm carrying the hook, said slide sliding on the first part of the connector between a locked position in which the hook and the hook catch are engaged and an unlocked position in which the hook is withdrawn from its hook catch, a ramp, cam or the like being provided between the slide and the elastic arm so that as it moves from the locked position to the unlocked position, the slide acts on the elastic arm, to move the hook away from its hook catch.
In order to lock the device, all that is required is to push the male part onto the female part or vice versa, the locking device being in the locked position. For unlocking, the slide is operated to move from the locked position to the unlocked position. As the slide moves, its ramp pushes the hook away from its hook catch, thus freeing the male and female parts from each other.
In a first embodiment, one edge of the window slides between the elastic arm carrying the hook and the first part, and the ramp is formed on that face of the elastic arm which is nearest to the first part of the connector. In this case, a protuberance may be provided on that face of the elastic arm which is nearest to the first part of the connector, between the hook and the ramp. This protuberance enables the slide to be kept in its locked position. Furthermore, when the slide is being operated, once past the protuberance the slide is clear of that part of the connector to which it is mounted and the slide can be grasped more easily to act on the elastic arms.
In a second embodiment, the elastic arm is housed entirely inside the window in the locked position, that edge of the window which is nearest to the hook is beveled on the face facing away from the first part of the connector and the free end of the elastic arm includes a complementary surface to the bevel formed on the edge of the window, in such a way that when the edge of the window slides under the hook, the latter moves away from the first part of the connector and from the hook catch.
For a better locking action, the locking device according to the invention advantageously comprises two elastic arms each carrying a hook. In this case, the two elastic arms may for example be connected by a base, thus forming a U-shaped stirrup. The stirrup is preferably formed in two parts assembled together, each part having an elastic arm. By way of example, they may be assembled by mutual engagement of the two parts or by welding. To mount this locking device on one part of the connector, the slide is positioned on the connector and then each part carrying an elastic arm is put in position. Welding, e.g. ultrasound welding, is then carried out to join the two parts of the stirrup together and also to join the stirrup to the connector part.